OHIO ST: Ohio State will be very different looking this year, without Jared Sullinger and William Buford, but Thad Matta's Buckeyes should still be able to hang with the best of the best in the nation. Deshaun Thomas (15.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG) is a threat both on the perimeter and in the post from the forward position and he should benefit from more opportunities. Point guard Aaron Craft (8.8 PPG, 4.6 APG, 2.5 SPG) may be the best pure point guard in the Big Ten, and there's no doubt he should be able to improve now as an upperclassman. The Buckeyes missed out on a number of top recruits, but this veteran-led squad should still be dangerous, especially if Lenzelle Smith Jr. (6.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG) takes the necessary steps forward in his junior campaign.

MICHIGAN: John Beilein guided this team to a tie for first in last year's conference and even though just two starters are back, there is no shortage of ready-to-go talent on this Wolverines squad. While the team will really miss Zack Novak and Evan Smotryczk, last year's two leading scorers are back in the fold in Trey Burke (14.8 PPG, 4.6 APG) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.6 PPG), forming the conference's most dangerous backcourt duo as excellent dribble-drivers who combined to average nearly 3.5 three-pointers per game. Forward Jordan Morgan (7.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG) will remain a key role player while freshman SF Glenn Robinson III may be prove to be the most college-ready first-year player in the conference. With freshman Mitch McGary manning the post at 6-foot-10, this is a complete roster that has the ideal mix of veterans and young talent to still be balling in late March.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - As he was preparing to speak with reporters on Monday, Ohio State coach Thad Matta coughed and sneezed. He said several of his players also had bad colds.

Someone said, "At least you don't have any big games to play."

"No," he said with a grin. "It's another week."

Far from it. The 10th-ranked Buckeyes face a daunting stretch when they travel to play No. 3 Michigan on Tuesday night - the first time they've met when both are in the Top 10 - then host top-ranked Indiana on Sunday.

Michigan (20-2, 7-2 Big Ten) would seem to have plenty of motivation. The Wolverines are coming off an 81-73 loss Saturday night at Indiana that knocked them out of the No. 1 spot. They were atop the Associated Press poll for the first time since Nov. 30, 1992 - but their stay there lasted exactly one week.

On top of that, their only previous loss was a 56-53 setback at Ohio State on Jan. 13. Deshaun Thomas had 20 points for the Buckeyes (17-4, 7-2) in that game, including the first and last baskets in a 16-0 first-half spurt that helped them build a 21-point lead. That barely held up when a tying stepback 15-footer by Wolverines guard Trey Burke in the final seconds rattled around and out.

The Buckeyes, who won 63-56 at Nebraska on Saturday, know they cannot afford many more losses if they want to remain in contention for a fourth straight conference title.

"It's going to mean a lot for this team," said Thomas, who leads the Big Ten in scoring at 20.0 points a game. "It's going to be tough. It's going to be big if we get these two wins."

Matta was asked if he ever tries to do the math of what it'll take his team to win a regular-season title in the Big Ten.

"Yeah, I sat down and broke down everybody's schedule and put up a flow chart," he deadpanned before admitting he didn't know who the Buckeyes played beyond their games this week.

Point guard Aaron Craft made the usual disclaimer - the Buckeyes wouldn't be looking past anybody and they're only worried about the next opponent - but then conceded that players do try to gauge what it will take to win a conference title.

"You think about that when the season starts and every game coming in," he said. "We lost the two (games), and we just wanted to get to the halfway point in the Big Ten season 7-2 and we were fortunate enough to do that. You always have got to play with a bigger picture in mind. That helps us play better. It gives every possession and every situation more significance. You take it more seriously if it's in the grander scope of things."

It couldn't get much grander than this week.

The first step comes Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Wolverines are 13-0 at Crisler Center this season and 28-1 over the last two years.

"The biggest concern right now is going up and playing a Michigan team that just took a loss," Craft said. "They're going to be ready to get after it, not only because they just lost but because we were their first loss of the year."

Wolverines coach John Beilein hopes his team learned a lesson from Saturday's defeat and can start focusing on what it will take to climb back to the top of the rankings.

"There were some deja vu moments in that room from the Ohio (State) game," Beilein said. "So now, we learn from it again. ... We'll grow from it. But we have to get off the deck real quick."

Burke led the way Saturday for Michigan, finishing with 25 points and eight assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points but nobody else had more than 10 on a night the Wolverines, one of America's best shooting teams, shot just 42.9 percent.

Ohio State has won 17 of 20 in this series but fell 56-51 in its last visit to Michigan on Feb. 18. The Buckeyes were ranked sixth in that matchup while the Wolverines were No. 17.